VETEC offers a broad variety of services to Vietnamese students and U.S. colleges and universities, all with the goal of increasing the number of Vietnamese studying in the United States. VETEC operates an office in Vietnam, which ITA supported with an MDCP award of $388,000 in 2011.

“Vietnam has been among the fastest growing source countries for overseas study in the United States during the past four years,” says VETEC Director Mark Matsumoto. “It has the potential to become one of the three most significant export markets in the world for U.S. education and training service exports within the next 10 years.”

VETEC is ideally located to help both U.S. institutions of higher learning and Vietnamese students. The office will open up new and effective ways to promote the benefits offered by U.S. colleges and universities to Vietnamese students and their families.

“VETEC was designed to provide U.S. schools an on-the-ground resource in Vietnam to actively engage students and parents in Vietnam,” added Matsumoto.

In 2011-2012, more than 15,000 students from Vietnam enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities, making the United States the eighth-largest host market for Vietnamese students. Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) reported that as of December 2012, 106,000 Vietnamese students were studying abroad.

Chris Higginbotham is a Communications Specialist in ITA’s Office of Public Affairs. John Siegmund is an International Trade Specialist in the International Trade Administration’s Office of Services.

Steve Shepard – iStock photo

When it comes to filling out our NCAA Tournament brackets, we probably all have a lot to learn. While there isn’t necessarily a college course available on that, it’s important to remember that the teams in our brackets represent educational institutions that provide a major source of American exports.

How can education be considered an export? When a student comes from overseas to study in the United States, that student pays for tuition and fees, books, and all other living expenses. Just like medical services and travel and tourism, education is an export even though it isn’t shipped across a border to a customer.

Top institutions hosting international students that are represented in the NCAA Tournament (2011-2012 data from the Institute of International Education)

Education is a huge part of America’s service industry and education exports support tens of thousands of American jobs. The NCAA tournament supports education by giving a portion of the revenue from events like March Madness back to Division I institutions. Each time you attend a game or watch one on TV, you’re supporting exports, you’re supporting jobs, and you’re supporting education.

Braeden Young is an International Trade Specialist and Brazil Desk Officer within the International Trade Administration.

Brazil, which became the world’s sixth-largest economy last year, is bustling with activity. As Brazil ramps up preparations for hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, opportunity abounds for U.S. companies to support infrastructure development at sports venues, surrounding communities and commercial centers, and transportation hubs.

The recent discovery of new oil reserves off Brazil’s coast presents new opportunities in the oil and gas sector. U.S. firms have specialized expertise in deep water drilling and related services and are well-positioned to partner with Brazilian companies to help Brazil reach its objectives.

However, Brazil’s rise is marked not only by towering cranes and the roar of jackhammers, but also by smiling students and the scribbling of pencil on paper. Education is vital to Brazil’s long-term development and the market for education services here has never been better.

Brazil’s economy grew 23 percent over the last five years, to nearly $2.5 trillion in 2011. Economic growth and industrial development has created demand for a better trained, more sophisticated workforce; Brazil hopes to expand educational opportunities for students in order to meet employer needs in commerce, high technology, and engineering. U.S. colleges and universities are ready to help Brazil meet these demands.

Brazil’s population of nearly 200 million is easily the largest in Latin America. In recent years, tens of millions of Brazilians of have emerged out of poverty into Brazil’s middle class, which now represents over half of Brazil’s population. Now, more than ever, Brazilian students have the interest and means to study overseas, and they want to come to the United States!

The United States is a top destination for Brazilian students studying abroad. Since 2006, the United States has seen an increase in the number of Brazilian students. Nearly 9,000 Brazilians studied in the United States last year, a 25 percent increase from 2006, placing Brazil in 14th place among country of origin of international students in the United States. Tuition and living expenses for international students brought in nearly $21 billion to the U.S. economy last year. Brazilian students accounted for $257 million. New partnerships between our two countries will boost the number of Brazilian students on campuses across the United States.

Brazil’s new Science Without Borders program illustrates the commitment of the Brazilian government to higher education. This innovative initiative aims send 101,000 Brazilian students and scholars in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields to study and conduct research abroad over the next four years. The United States is and will continue to be an important destination for these anxious young learners.

Last week, Under Secretary for International Trade Francisco Sánchez led representatives from 66 U.S. colleges and universities to Brazil on the largest education mission in the history of the Department of Commerce. By talking with thousands of students in three cities (Brasilia, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro), we learned that Brazilian students are well-prepared and anxious to study in the United States. We also learned from the school representatives that the Brazilian students already studying in the United States bring a unique energy to their campuses. These U.S. schools look forward to hosting even more young Brazilians going forward.

Increased educational exchanges between the United States and Brazil will enhance mutual understanding, strengthen our commercial and strategic ties, and benefit our economies. Education is a win-win opportunity and we are proud to promote the U.S. higher education system to Brazil and the world!

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is making advanced education for future workers a high priority. In 2011, she launched the Science Without Borders initiative whereby more than 100,000 Brazilians will spend a year studying abroad by the end of 2015. They will be studying subjects such as biotechnology, ocean science and petroleum engineering which the government regards as essential for the nation’s future.

The Institute for International Education or IIE is administering this initiative for the United States. The program will provide a substantive exchange experience at a U.S. college or university to a diverse group of emerging Brazilian student leaders to widen the academic and research exchange between the U.S. and Brazil. This initiative is the result of joint efforts from two sponsoring organizations, CAPES, the department within the Brazilian Ministry of Education devoted to the evaluation and expansion of higher education in Brazil and CNPq, the department within the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology devoted to the advancement of scientific research and technology and to the development of scientific research-related human resources..

Until now, few Brazilians have studied abroad. Last year there were only about 9,000 Brazilians on campuses in the United States (excluding language students). And those Brazilians who have foreign degrees have had a disproportionate influence back home. In the 1960s and 1970s, the government paid for PhDs abroad in oil exploration, agricultural research and aircraft design. Brazil is now a world leader in all three fields.

This week, representatives from 66 U.S. colleges and universities are participating in an education-focused trade mission to Brazil led by Under Secretary for International Trade Francisco Sánchez. Education and training rank among the top 10 U.S. services exports. Tuition and living expenses from international students and their families brought in nearly $21 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2010-2011 academic year.

This trade mission will play an important role in helping participating colleges and universities boost the number of Brazilian students from 9,000, and in doing so, will support those institutions with full tuitions costs – as well as foster important cultural ties between the next generation of the world’s leaders.

The International Trade Administration’s Education Team helps U.S. institutions recruit international students and supports recruitment events.

This week, representatives from 66 U.S. colleges and universities are traversing Brazil, attending education fairs and talking to thousands of students interested in pursuing an education in the United States. The colleges and universities are in Brazil as part of an Education Missionled by Under Secretary for International Trade Francisco Sánchez, the largest in the Department of Commerce’s history.

Under Secretary Francisco Sánchez with representatives of the University of Toledo during the Brazil Education Trade Mission (Photo Commerce)

Education and training rank among the top 10 U.S. services exports. Higher education remains one of America’s most sought-after services. Both elite private institutions and high-quality public colleges and universities benefit from the influx of foreign students attending, many of whom pay the full out-of-state tuition price. American institutions of higher education remain desirable in a challenging global economic climate, where illustrious names are seen to pave the way to success.

According to the Institute of International Education, during the 2010-11 academic year, the number of international students in the U.S. increased to a record high of 723,277 students, a 32% increase since 2000-01. International students contribute not only to campus life and to dialogue within classrooms, but also to the U.S. economy at the local, state, and national levels. Tuition and living expenses from international students and their families brought in nearly $21 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2010-2011 academic year.

The OECD’s Education at a Glance 2011 reports that the number of international students worldwide increased from 2.1 million in 2000 to 3.7 million in 2009. Furthermore, the Global Student Mobility 2025 Report, estimates that world demand for international higher education will increase from 1.8 million in 2002 to some 7.2 million or more in 2025 as countries such as China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, South Korea, Vietnam, and Saudi Arabia grow economically and struggle to meet domestic demand for higher education.

The United States continues to be a sought-after destination for high-quality education. Yet foreign students in the United State remain a smaller percentage of the total U.S. student body than several other popular destinations for foreign students. With more than 4,000 institutions of higher learning in the U.S., there is tremendous potential for more intuitions to host a greater number of international students.

The first-ever U.S. Department of Commerce Education Mission to Brazil,taking place this week (August 30-Sept. 6), represents an important opportunity to further strengthen cultural and economic ties between our nations.

As the largest education mission our agency has organized to any country, I am both honored to lead this mission and enthusiastic about connecting U.S. higher learning institutions with Brazilian students seeking study opportunities in the United States.

During the mission, representatives from 66 accredited U.S. academic institutions will showcase their undergraduate, graduate, community college and intensive English language programs at Education Fairs in Brasilia, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro.

We appreciate the leadership of U.S. Ambassador Thomas A. Shannon, Jr., and the U.S. Embassy in Brazil in providing strong support for this education mission as well as their longstanding efforts to promote educational exchanges between our countries.

As Brazil works to expand educational opportunities for its professional workforce, we applaud the leadership of President Dilma Rousseff, and her country’s ambitious goal of sending 101,000 Brazilian students in science and technology fields overseas in the next four years, through her visionary initiative, Science without Borders (SWB).

We look forward to working with the Government of Brazil in achieving success in this nationwide scholarship program to promote higher education abroad. Within SWB, there are 75,000 scholarships funded by the Government of Brazil and 26,000 scholarships funded by the private sector. We want to see many of these future students in one of our exceptional educational institutions in the United States.

At the beginning of the SWB program in 2012, there were 500 Brazilian undergraduate students placed in U.S. schools, followed by an additional 1,400 students later this year. By the end of 2013, there will be 1,500 Brazilian Ph.D. students in U.S. universities.

The benefits to Brazil are numerous. There are inspiring examples of U.S.-educated Brazilian professionals who have returned to their country to strengthen development and innovation in Brazil. For example, Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation Marco Antônio Raupp earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Chicago.

The Institute of International Education (IIE) reports that there were more than 9,000 Brazilians studying in the U.S. in the 201/12 academic year, a 25 percent increase from five years earlier, placing Brazil 14th among all countries with international students in the United States. Beyond that, IIE reports there are more international students (more than 723,000) in the United States than anywhere else.

President Obama— as demonstrated through the United States’100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative—shares a commitment with President Rousseff on the need to build partnerships that address the needs of a 21st century workforce. Brazil is an important partner in this effort, and these initiatives are expected to lead to even greater educational and cultural ties between our countries.

I look forward to spending time in Brazil with the members of the education mission, and advancing the goal of opening new doors to educational opportunity and collaboration. By expanding the avenues to higher learning, we will make a longstanding contribution to future generations who hold the key to continuing our shared prosperity.

Adam Wilczewski is Chief of Staff at the International Trade Administration.

This week 12 regionally accredited U.S. academic institutions will take part in the first-of-its-kind education trade mission to Poland and the Czech Republic. The trade mission, which I will have the opportunity to lead, is part of a larger effort to increase the number of foreign students studying in the United States.

According to Times Higher Education, the United States is home to more than 4,000 accredited higher education institutions, and 14 of the top 20 universities in the world. Furthermore, the Institute of International Education reports there are more international students (in excess of 723,000) studying at U.S. institutions than anywhere else in the world.

(Photo iStock/Steve Shepard)

U.S. colleges and universities, such as those on this mission, place a prime importance on keeping their campuses internationally diverse, so that students can gain the most rewarding educational experience possible. And recent developments show that there is both great interest and opportunities for U.S. colleges and universities to recruit students from both Poland and the Czech Republic.

With the passage of new legislation last October, Poland is streamlining the education process—thereby raising educational standards that may further increase interest in study abroad programs such as those in the United States. Poland also has a high concentration of young students with keen interest in higher education. The country’s population of 38 million includes more than 5.5 million young people from 15 to 24 years of age, including 1.9 million students. Moreover, Polish students have a strong affinity toward the United States, and English is the first choice for a second language by almost all high school and university students.

Similarly, the number of Czech students with outstanding English language skills continues to outpace many of their neighbors in the region, improving the ability of Czech students to study at U.S. universities and colleges. And current exchange rates and the visa waiver program are making U.S. educational opportunities an increasingly attractive alternative.

Recognizing these trends points to the eagerness of the educational institutions from across the country to join me on this trade mission.

During the trade mission, our delegation will participate in student recruitment fairs in Prague and Warsaw to connect with students from European universities, secondary schools, and businesses. Trade professionals from the U.S. Department of Commerce based abroad will also be on hand to facilitate networking opportunities and meetings between our delegation and prominent Czech and Polish universities.

We look forward to visiting Warsaw and Prague, and with this, the goal of opening new doors of opportunity and cultural understanding for the next generation. By furthering the avenues to higher learning, we are also supporting economic growth both at home and abroad – and that is something to write home about.